THE MAKING OF A QUAGMIRE - THE INADEQUACIES OF APPLYING THE JACKSON-VANIK AMENDMENT TO VIETNAM TRANSITIONAL ECONOMY

Over the years, the United States has articulated the ideological link between development of market economies and respect for democratic va lues and human rights through trade preferences and rite Jackson-Yanik Amendment. Enacted during the Cold War, the Amendment applies only to states that fit the definition of ''nonmarket economy'' and thus, fai ls to account for nations that are undergoing drastic structural trans itions. Using the example of Vietnam's economic reform, this Note iden tifies economic and political dilemmas peculiar to transitional develo ping states. The author argues that under the current statutory scheme of the Amendment, the concerns of these transitional states are not a ddressed. The author concludes that a change in the statutory scheme o f the Jackson-Vanik Amendment to encompass ''nonmarket economy states in transition'' will serve to enhance the twin aims of economic develo pment and human rights.